Divers who entered the wreck of a tour boat that sank in a storm off the southern thai resort island of phuket. Wreck dives in thailand seafari dive center pattaya. He was one of the cohosts for 57 episodes of the history channels deep sea detectives television series, and has worked as a consultant to 20th century fox, paramount pictures, universal studios. Padi is attempting to certify divers from this specialty to be able to recreationally lay line and penetrate wrecks within view of natural light. The shadow divers of the title are deep wreck divers, a sport that consists of only a few hundred diehards. Jul 11, 2018 petty officer saman gunan, 38, was a retired thai navy diver who volunteered in the rescue efforts. And of course, to round out our team, we have our regular divers, some of whom dive three or four times a week, to ensure that you will have a very interesting and.
For instance, if you dive at a wreck in 15 metres of water, and penetrate the wreck for 10 metres, essentially you will have reached a depth of 25 metres. Thailand is in a tropical region and therefore one can go diving anytime, all year round. We go every day for 3 dives alternately to the racha and phi phi islands. He was one of the cohosts for 57 episodes of the history channels deep sea detectives television series, and has worked as a consultant to 20th century fox, paramount pictures, universal studios, and cbs. The hardeep wreck dive site seafari dive center pattaya. Professional association of diving instructors wikipedia. Thai cave boys were drugged and handcuffed during rescue, book claims. The first positive identification of this wreck was made by commercial diver fred evans during the first ever dive onto a fishermens mark on this first dive, freds inbuilt brass magnet and equally famed brass vision lead to the recovery of the vessels brass name plate on 14 feb 2004.
You will apply the knowledge gained by reading the padi wreck diver manual and watching the video on at least four open water dives practicing and. However, the best conditions exist between november and april as sharks visit from february to may. I noted at once that my friend, british diver john volanthen, had his name incorrectly spelt. We are a respected and well known member of the community. Read robert kursons latest book about one of my adventures john chatterton is one of the worlds most accomplished and well known wreck divers. Wreck diving in thailand padi msdt course koh tao youtube. All the complex stuff you always wanted to understand but couldnt find it in any books get yourself a cup of coffee, then download and read these great articles. It can be found surrounded by luscious gardens and includes an onsite restaurant, serving a delicious combination of thai and western cuisine.
Thailand is packed with wreck sites only accessible by technical divers. Sea chart wreck is our newest wreck and lies much deeper but is a fantastic wreck for advanced divers to explore and a great dive to include in the. Off koh tao we have an ideal site for wreck diver training. Thailand wreck diving, thai technical diving and dive. Gary gentiles selfpublished, nonfiction book shadow divers exposed. There are also a few wreck dives nearby boonsung wreck, premchai wreck, sea chart wreck. We include free computer hire on all our wreck dives. The 2 day padi wreck diver specialty course is designed to familiarize divers with the skills, knowledge, planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems, hazards and excitement of diving on wrecks. Padi wreck diver course master divers, koh tao, thailand. Htms kood is a thai navy ship that was retired 40 mins from pattaya. Day trips in pattaya thai baht passenger or snorkeler 1,400 day diving trip including rental equipment 2 dives 3,200 day diving trip including rental dive trips and padi training in pattaya.
Padi wreck diver specialty course 2 days koh tao, thailand. Teaming with marine life and full of history, wreck diving has something for anyone interested in exploration and excitement. As with the other book, more than 40 images were used inside. There is the old sail boat wreck often incorrectly called the speed boat wreck which is situated at 21 metres at the northern part of bay 1. The thai navy has ensured the vessel is safe for wreck diving by removing all armaments. Jan 20, 2019 it was the story that gripped the world. May, 2019 if you enjoy wreck diving, you might want to consider heading to pattaya, a place which is loosely labeled as the wreck diving capital of thailand pattaya is home to five wrecks, namely the htms kut, htms khram and htms mataphon which are all world war iiera ships from the us navy that were decommissioned and given to the thai navy. Padi beginner dive courses are available all year on koh phi phi. As is the envy of all the other dive operators in pattaya, we have the finest boat cook in pattaya who can cook vegetarian, western and thai food to guarantee a well rounded day. Pattaya wreck diving in thailand is a once in a lifetime experience for all. During this course, your tdi instructor will teach you the proper techniques for locating and planning an advanced penetration dive. Want to explore sunken ships, crashed planes and lost treasures beneath the surface.
Koh lanta diving prices for snorkeling, freedive, padi course and fun dive in thai baht. The professional association of diving instructors padi is a recreational diving membership and diver training organization founded in 1966 by john cronin and ralph erickson. Wreck diving day trips from khao lak to bangsak, thai. Padi wreck diver speciality course in phuket, thailand. Scuba diving in thailand complete thailand scuba guide. The course includes all the elements required for completion. Watch this video to see what the padi wreck specialty instructor is all ab. Padi wreck diver specialty course thailand kiwidiver phuket. For some, becoming a wreck diver is one of the main reasons for learning to scuba dive and remains one of. Padi wreck diver specialty course in koh tao thailand. A padi certification is recognized worldwide in more than 6000 padi dive centers and resorts. The padi wreck diver course teaches you the ins and outs of rewarding, responsible wreck diving. It referred to the australian team of divers correctly known as the wet mules. Hardeep, one of the best wreck dives thailand offers just 50min from pattaya.
Padi wreck diver specialty course dive the world thailand. It is bordered by burma and laos to the north, by laos and cambodia to the east, by the gulf of thailand and malaysia to the south, and by the andaman sea and the southern extremity of burma to the west. The dive site is also filled with clusters and loose arrangements of concrete reef cubes as well as a second wreck, a smaller wooden thai fishing boat. It lays in a channel between koh khram yai and koh era. Padi wreck diver course gives you the suitable knowledge and prepares with the best techniques for diving. Dive trips and padi training in pattaya adventure divers.
The wreck can be quite challenging at times due to the strong currents in the area but if your trip is planned to coincide with a high slack tide it can turn out to be a really awesome dive. Cochranes writing was easy to read and flowed naturally. Padi wreck diver specialty course, you must have already completed your advanced open water license the reason that you need this, is because of the increased depths at which wreck diving can be done. Due to the distance from the pattaya harbour, the ships condition and incredible currents, this wrecks less visited these days, except on planned. Originally a us world war two landing ship, it is an excellent wreck diving training ship.
By getting your padi wreck specialty youll gain advanced knowledge and techniques to allow you to see more than the untrained diver. Adventure divers pattaya has been in pattaya since 1998. As death toll hits 41, divers describe tragic scenes in thai tour boat sinking. The resort even opens up onto a private stretch of white sand, providing the ideal place for relaxation. Shadow divers published in 2004 is a nonfictional book by robert kurson recounting of the discovery of a world war ii german uboat 60 miles 97 km off the coast of new jersey, united states in 1991. Remember to pack proof of your diver certification as well as your log book.
Ship wreck diving in the gulf of thailand and the andaman sea. Have a look at our range of wreck diving programs now. It took 4 dives of this type just to swim around all 4 quadrants of the wreck taking the notes and sketches that formed the basis of the analysis in this article. Unfortunately most of this book focuses on wrecks around the world that can be explored and is light on the penetration aspect of wreck diving which is what needs to be explained and taught well. April 718 2019 songkran is the thai new years festival. Here are 5 historic wreck sites to add to your thai technical diving. No matter what reasons behind a wreck was sunk, wrecks open amazing windows to the past. The padi wreck diver course develops your practical skills and theoretical knowledge allowing you to plan, organise and conduct no decompression dives on ship wrecks. Pattaya offers some of thailands best wreck diving and with some of the worlds most famous bent metal on show.
The king cruiser wreck is an 85 metre long car ferry, located midway between phi phi islands, krabi and phuket thailand. Wreck diving day trips from khao lak to bangsak, thai muang. With bathtub like temperatures of 2831 degrees, your diving conditions could not be better. The wreck is an easily accessible spot in a predominantly sandy area and is perfect as a wreck diver beginners training ground as all the areas of the ship are wide open to all sides. Jan 16, 2016 about pattaya dive center if you are thinking about a chance to go scuba diving in thailand you should make a stop and come diving pattaya and explore the thai gulf up north. The adelaide based diver was thrown into the international spotlight earlier this year as one of the cave divers who rescued the 12 boys and their soccer coach out of a flooded thai cave in july. This former thai navy vessel now lies upright in 30m of water, which is perfect for the four training dives of the course. There are many wreck dives, both in the gulf of thailand and the andaman sea. Racha yai has four boat wrecks all located around bays 1 and 2 on the east side of the island. Cronin was originally a naui instructor who decided to form his own organization with erickson, and to break diver training down into several modular courses instead of the single universal course then prevalent.
Diving experience in phuket, thailand padi wreck diver speciality course. The gulf of thailand area offers many choices for scuba diving near koh samui, koh tao, pattaya, ko chang destinations. Padi professional association of diving instructors is the most popular and the worlds leading scuba diver training association. Written by stephen burton 2006 one of many wwii wrecks recently identified in thai waters by koh tao wreck research vessel mv trident the gulf of siam with bangkok as its hub, has been an important international seaway stretching back over millennia. Cronin was originally a naui instructor who decided to form his own organization with erickson, and to break diver training down into several modular courses instead of. Thai cave boys were drugged and handcuffed during rescue. Or get a cheaper koh lanta diving prices today by asking us for our promotions and discounts. Padi specialty dive courses in pattaya, thailand padi 5 star. The hardeep suddhadib wreck is one of the most exciting wreck dives in pattaya due to the vessels history and the duration it has spent on the seabed.
You can expect an average of four dives per day on most liveaboards. Some are suitable for recreational scuba divers, others are for technical divers only. Here the most popular dive sites are chumpon pinnacle, sail rock, hardeep wreck, htms sattakut wreck, htms chang shipwreck. Do you ever wonder what are some of the best scuba diving books out there. Then the padi wreck diver programme is just want you want. Padi wreck diver speciality scuba diving course at crystal dive, koh tao, thailand. The padi wreck diver course develops specialized knowledge and skills which allow you to see much more than the untrained diver. He is now commemorated with a bronze statue at the site of the caves. Listed in the top 10 worlds most dangerous wreck dives the infamous hardeep wrecklisted as one of the world top 10 most dangerous wreck dives, responsible for numerous wreck diving deaths, is just 50mins outside of pattaya, thailand which is less than 2hrs from bangkok. Whether youre looking for inspiration or want to learn a new skill, there is a book for you. Princess divers is proud to be able to offer you scuba diving course from both padi and ssi, this means you can choose from your preferred scuba diving training organization, many dive centers worldwide are only affiliated with one scuba training agency so they will always tell you that is the best choice, when in fact it may not have been your first. Whether you are an experienced diver or a first time try diver you can enjoy scuba diving around the islands off pattaya and samae san all year around. As death toll hits 41, divers describe tragic scenes in.
To participate you must be 15 years of age or older, certified as a padi adventure diver or padi advanced open water diver or have a qualifying certification from another training organization similar to the padi advanced open water diver. Penetrationtraining dives are to be limited to within the light zone and within 40 metres feet from the surface, vertical and horizontal. Learn how to dive wrecks safely and enjoy descending in the past, exploring history and the beautiful artificial reefs on the wrecks around phuket. Wreck specialty instructor course during the padi msdt with sairee cottage diving. The tdi advanced wreck diver course is the next step for any diver that has successfully completed the sdi wreck diver course. Just days after being named south australian of the year, anaesthetist dr richard harry harris is back in the water instructing cave divers on search and rescue. Media caption wife and father remember hero thai diver. Diving in thailand has loads of great underwater experiences to offer any diver, but its important to choose the right destination for the right season.
After that, and despite the fact that the two authors were both news correspondents, and the format of each book was essentially the same, it was quickly apparent that their respective offerings were like chalk and cheese. Popular thai novels books meet your next favorite book. Located in the heart of southeast asia, thailand is packed with wreck sites only accessible by technical divers. And diehards is perhaps a great description, because this sport is incredibly deadly.
Wreck diving courses and about wreck diving in general. Padi wreck diver specialty course thailand kiwidiver. The hms vestal, an algerine class minesweeper was hit by a japanese kamikaze plane during the closing days of wwii, the vestal was extensively damaged and was deemed unrepairable. About scuba diving in thailand thailand is the country in southeast asia whose economy relies heavily on tourism. Throughout the book, and we are talking hundreds of times, johns name was consistently incorrect. Exploring the shipwreck of the former thai naval vessel htms sattakut, the course culminates in the opportunity for a penetration dive inside the shipwreck. He lost consciousness on his way out of the tham luang cave complex, where he had been. Read about our local 5 wreck dives and the stories that go with them here. Learn how to dive wrecks safely and enjoy descending in the past, exploring history and. Take your padi wreck diver specialty course in phuket thailand.
By the 1980s, scuba this is not only the most thrilling nonfiction book ive ever read, it is one of the most exciting, thrilling books of any genre. If you are thinking about a chance to go scuba diving in thailand you should make a stop and come diving pattaya and explore the thai gulf up north. Here are five historic wreck sites to add to your thai technical diving bucket list. Padi wreck diver course gives you the suitable knowledge and prepares with the best techniques for diving wreck diving is one of the most exciting things to do as a diver. From the dive plan printouts, its interesting to note, that for only a 25minute bottom dive, the diver has to spend 1hr 14mins carrying out very formal mixed gas decompression. Pattayas three main diving areas are located within close proximity the near islands, the far islands, and samae san islands. Scuba diving courses scuba diving phi phi island princess. Pattaya wreck diving is one of the best aspects of scuba diving in pattaya. The petchburi bremen wreck was one of the first wreck dive sites used in pattaya. Gentile, a noted wreck diver, researcher, and author, sharply refutes chatterton and kohlers theory of how u869 sank. Shipwrecks rate amongst the worlds most captivating diving sites for a number of reasons. Bangsak wreck is khao laks oldest and most established wreck and therefore the most prolific in soft corals and fish life, whilst thai muang wreck is slightly deeper and is still fully intact. Blue label diving in thailand phuket is specialised in the training for. Learn advanced wreck diving techniques on former thai navy wreck culminating.
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